Leo the African by Amin Maalouf (Book Analysis) E-Book

Bright Summaries

• Herausgeber: BrightSummaries.com
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Serie: BrightSummaries.com
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 21

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of Leo the African with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Leo the African by Amin Maalouf, a historical novel which paints a vivid image of many of the most important events of the 16th century. It follows the Renaissance-era traveller Leo Africanus, but – since very little is actually known about his life – the author presents his own version of how Leo’s life may have been. The novel is written in the form of a memoir and was greeted with widespread praise when it was first released, with particular interest given to the book’s juxtaposition of the main religions of the time – Islam and Christianity. Leo the African is Amin Maalouf’s first book, although he later received the Prix Goncourt for his novel The Rock of Tanios and went on to become a member of the Académie française. Although he writes in French, his native tongue is Arabic.   

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Leseprobe

Amin Maalouf

Lebanese-born French journalist and writer

Born in 1949 in Beirut.Notable works:Leo the African (1986), novelPorts of Call (1996), novelIn the Name of Identity (1998), essay

Amin Maalouf was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1949 and worked as a journalist for An-Nahar, the city’s main daily newspaper. The outbreak of the civil war in 1975 forced him to flee his native country: he settled down in Paris, where he covered the many world conflicts of the time for the news magazine Jeune Afrique. After his first essay, The Crusades Through Arab Eyes (published in 1983), he achieved success as a novelist with Leo the African in 1986. He then devoted himself entirely to literature, writing novels, essays and librettos. Maalouf received the Prix Goncourt in 1993 for The Rock of Tanios, a book set in his home country of Lebanon, which is clearly close to his heart. He was elected a member of the Académie française in June 2011.

Leo the African

A wanderer’s journey through the troubled 16th century

Genre: novelReference edition: Maalouf, A. (1994) Leo the African. Trans. Sluglett, P. London: Abacus.1st edition: 1986Themes: religion, war, exile, power

First published in French in 1986, Leo the African traces the story of a Mediterranean merchant and diplomat called Leo the African, real name Hasan al-Wazzan, from his family origins right up until his old age. The novel does not just describe his life, but paints a picture of a time rich in major historical events. Leo the African’s journey is closely linked to the religious conflicts of the 16th century, which lead him to travel along the Mediterranean Basin.

Summary

Hasan and his family’s exile to Fez

The story tells of the birth of Hasan, the son of Salma, the first wife of Muhammad the weigh-master, in Granada. Warda, his second wife and a Christian slave, gave him a daughter, Mariam. One day, Warda meets her brother, Juan, who wants to take her back to her family. He slaps Muhammad. This insult results in the weigh-master driving away his wife.